Hidden Truths
by Syrus
Summary: Prequel to Bittersweet Reunion. Slight spoilers for case 5 in game one. Edgeworth disappeared without a trace for two years, and Phoenix is trying to cope, finding difficult choices lying ahead of him.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, Anka…who's this?"

Anka Wright saw her new friend from her journalism class, Julie, pick up a picture frame in her living room. Anka realized it was a picture of Phoenix when he'd just graduated from law school.

"Oh, that's my brother Phoenix." Anka replied, walking over to Julie.

"Wow, I didn't know you had an older brother. He is kinda cute." Julie said, giving Anka an amused smile.

"Umm…sure…" Anka said hesitantly, really unable to see Phoenix in that way at all.

"How old is he anyway?" Julie asked.

"He's twenty six." Anka replied in amusement, "Definitely too old for you."

Julie blushed slightly and said, "Oh, come on…"

"He's actually going to be visiting in a few days, so maybe you'll get to meet him!" Anka said with a little excitement, always happy to see her brother since his visits were really few and far between since he had started college and then become a lawyer.

"So what does he do?" Julie asked with interest.

"He's a defense attorney. But he doesn't like to talk much about work for some reason. I bet he just wants to get away from all of that when he comes home." Anka replied.

"I see…I guess it must be really stressful. I wonder why he wanted to be a lawyer then?" Julie pondered.

Anka also thought it was odd. He had actually gotten a degree in theater, but he'd surprised the whole family (mostly his parents since Anka was only eight at the time) when he suddenly decided to get a law degree after. She realized that she'd never thought to ask him why that was since she was too young then.

"You know, I'm not sure myself…when I was a kid he'd always wanted to be an actor. Not sure why he changed his mind. Maybe I should ask him that." Anka replied, mostly thinking out loud to herself.

"Yeah, I think I'd like to know too. That seems like a really weird change to make just for no reason." Julie said with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I think I will." Anka replied, making a mental note to ask him sometime on his visit.

* * *

Phoenix had finally gotten a little time off, so he decided to come home and visit his family. He was actually really looking forward to the visit, finding himself missing them when he was in the main city. He got a small bag and packed it with things to stay for a week, deciding to just take the time off from cases and just spend it with them. 

Phoenix felt like he really earned his time off since his last case was exceptionally difficult, complete with a client that wouldn't divulge everything they knew, lying witnesses, and a judge that was much too easily swayed in Phoenix's opinion. But in the end, Phoenix did come through, proving his client to be not guilty.

_I wish Edgeworth was the prosecutor in this case…it would have made this trial much less long and tiring since he would have helped me get to the bottom of things faster…_Phoenix thought, but the mere remembrance of Edgeworth made him feel a pang in his heart.

He had not seen or heard from Edgeworth in almost two years, and at this point he was trying to give up on the hope that he'd actually see him again. He'd tried to look for Edgeworth in all that time, but he'd still come up with nothing. It really wasn't in him to give up on anyone, least of all Miles Edgeworth, but he was beginning to think that perhaps he was wasting his life away, waiting for something that would never happen.

_I think I have to move on with my life._ Phoenix thought, now feeling a little depressed as he thought about Edgeworth, _I may love him, but that isn't going to bring him back._

Phoenix figured that his parents were wondering why exactly he hadn't found someone he wanted to be with and settled down already. He knew they married young and they had already had him at by this age, and here he was at twenty six, not even in a relationship.

_Me_ _not being in a relationship is under my control, so I suppose I should do something about it. If I can't have Miles…there is no reason to disappoint everyone else._ Phoenix thought, deciding the only way he'd move on from him is if he started dating someone else.

But now Phoenix was at a loss at who exactly he should date. For all these years he'd been so focused on Miles, he'd never even really considered any one else in that way. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by someone walking into his office.

"Hey, Nick. I just brought over the last bit of paperwork you had to finish about this trial," Maya Fey said, smiling at him as she put a stack of papers on his desk, "You really did do a great job. Near the end there, I thought we were done for, but you found a way to turn things around like you always do."

Phoenix did not immediately reply to her, instead studying the way she was looking at him. He'd always wondered exactly what the nature of her feelings for him were, but he'd suspected for a while that they were a little stronger than just friendship.

_How could I even ask Maya out? I'm not even remotely attracted to her…_Phoenix thought, realizing that trying to date Maya would probably be a bad idea.

He'd ended up staying silent for a moment too long, just staring at her, so she gave him a look of confusion, waved a hand in front of his face, and said, "Hello, Nick! Earth to Nick!!"

Suddenly he shook his head and replied, "Uhh…sorry. What were you saying?"

Maya rolled her eyes at him and said, "Geez. I just said I brought over the paperwork you had to finish. Is there something on your mind? You seem really spacey."

Phoenix looked at her and impulsively came to a decision.

_But I know for a fact that she cares about me, so I could do a lot worse than her…_Phoenix thought, certain that dating someone that cared about him was as good a way as any to move on from Miles.

Although, deep down, he didn't think he would ever _really_ move on from Miles.

"Yeah…there actually is something on my mind." Phoenix said, the words slipping out of his mouth before he could over think what exactly he was doing here.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Maya said, looking at him questioningly.

Phoenix now took a deep breath and pushed the words out of his mouth before he lost his nerve to say them.

"I just wanted to know if…you know…you wanted to go out for, uhh, burgers or something. Like…ummm…just us…the two of us." Phoenix said in a rush, feeling like what he was trying to say came out absolutely horribly.

Maya narrowed her eyebrows in confusion at him and looked at him curiously, trying to figure out what he just said meant exactly.

"When we get burgers, it usually is just us, Nick." Maya said slowly, still pondering over his words.

Phoenix took another deep breath, realizing that there was no way he could just dance around the edges of this, he had to just say exactly what he meant so that she would understand him.

Now he spoke slowly and looked at her meaningfully, saying, "Umm…what I mean is that…_I_ would like to take _you_ out for burgers."

Maya's look of confusion was finally replaced by a look of understanding, a slight blush spreading on her cheeks.

"Oh! Oh, I see." Maya said at first in surprise, then her tone turned shy.

She looked away from Phoenix momentarily, almost unable to believe that this was really happening. As she mulled over the implications of his statement, Phoenix felt a little nervous, but he relaxed a little when a small smile appeared on her face.

Maya finally looked back at Phoenix with the blush still showing on her cheeks and she said softly, "I'd really like if you took me out for burgers."

Phoenix smiled back, saying, "I'm glad."

"So did you just want to meet at the usual burger place at seven? Then maybe we can go to a movie or something." Maya said, looking like she might burst from excitement.

"Sure, that'd be fine." Phoenix said.

"Okay, I'd better get going then, but I'll see you at seven!" Maya said, giving him a big smile and then running out of his office door.

After she left, Phoenix thought about what had just happened. He realized that he'd just asked Maya Fey out on a date, finding that completely unbelievable since he'd never seen her as anything but a sister. He decided not to think on that any further, deciding to just try to have fun on this date, since he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been out on a date at all. He thought a bit more of his exchange with Maya and he suddenly laughed.

_I was the one who asked her out, and she ended up making all the plans for the date!_ a smile of amusement now on his face, _Oh well, I'm no good at planning these sort of things anyway._

Phoenix decided to now put thoughts of the date aside and finally picked up the stack of papers Maya had brought to him. He knew that it would be better if he got them done before he left the office today, not wanting the work to pile up right before he left for his parent's house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Phoenix went directly home after he finished up the paperwork in the office, trying to pick out something to wear on his date with Maya. Honestly, he still could not believe that he actually was going out on a date with her. But then his mind flashed back to his parents.

_Well, they've always liked Maya, and I have the feeling they wouldn't mind at all if I started dating her, _Phoenix thought as he rationalized in his mind that this date was actually a good idea.

Phoenix had to say there really was never a dull moment with Maya, so perhaps she was just the kind of person he needed to get over Edgeworth. He now turned his attention to his closet, searching in there for something nice to wear on a casual date. He quickly realized he didn't have much in the way of nice casual clothes, so he quickly fished out a black jacket and some jeans he hadn't worn for a while, and put them on.

As Phoenix looked at himself in the mirror, he thought, _I don't think I've worn these clothes since I was in college! Coincidentally that was about when I had gone on my last date too._

Phoenix then just stepped away from the mirror, deciding that no matter what he put on, he'd still feel stupid. As he walked over to the burger place, he realized that he actually was feeling a bit nervous.

_This is Maya…there's no reason to be nervous at all._ Phoenix told himself, trying to stay calm.

But he _was_ nervous since the context of this meeting with her was so much different than the countless other times they met with each other. Finally the burger place came into view, and Phoenix took a deep breath to relax himself as much as possible as he entered the door. He looked around the place to see if Maya was already there. He scanned the room for a good two to three minutes before his eyes fell on a girl who had black hair tied in an interesting looking bun, wearing a tasteful amount of make up that seemed to accent her skin nicely, and who had on a simple, but stylish looking purple shirt on a pair of black slacks.

His eyes suddenly went wide in recognition as he said in shock, "M-Maya?!"

She looked up and smiled at Phoenix, saying, "Nick! You're finally here! I'm starving!"

_Yup, this is definitely Maya._ Phoenix thought, unable to believe this was the same Maya Fey he always knew, _But if she didn't say anything, I think I'd still have trouble believing it._

When Phoenix gave her a little smile in response, he thought he saw her blushing slightly as she said, "You…look nice, Nick. This look is definitely a nice change to that blue suit you always wear."

Phoenix laughed lightly and replied, "Likewise for you."

Maya gave Phoenix a shy smile at his compliment, but suddenly changed the subject.

"Anyway, let's eat! I actually already ordered for us since I hate waiting, so our order should just about be ready," Maya said, clapping her hands together in anticipation, "And I just charged everything to your account, that's okay, right?"

"Oh, okay." Phoenix said in slight trepidation, just hoping that she didn't go too overboard with the ordering…this time.

_I think I should just have a special bank account for all of Maya's expenses…_Phoenix thought, feeling as though he'd never even see a dollar from his paycheck.

Soon their number was called and Maya went to get their order. She returned to their table with a tray with five burgers on it, and she picked up the smallest looking one and handed it to Phoenix. He took from her, and then she did not wait to start on her own burgers. He watched in amazement and disbelief as she inhaled her food, the whole thing looking even more ridiculous since she was fairly nicely dressed and had make up on. Phoenix knew that this was something that he should be used to by now, but he had to say, he probably would never stop being dumbfounded by it.

After she finished the burgers faster than Phoenix thought was humanly possible, she told him that she wanted to see the new Pink Princess movie that was out. Phoenix wasn't that excited about its release, but he could see how much she wanted to go, so he agreed. When they got to the theater, he bought a big popcorn to distract himself with eating in case he felt like the movie was getting dull.

As he munched away at that popcorn, he glanced over at Maya a few times, and was surprised to find that her eyes seemed to be on him much more than on the movie screen.

When this continued for at least half of the movie, Phoenix thought unsurely, _Maybe she wants me to hold her hand or something?_

Phoenix slowly and hesitantly reached over and grabbed her hand, almost taking his hand back a couple times. When he finally had the guts to look at the reaction on her face, he found a small, shy grin tugging on her lips, making him realize that he was right. Seeing this, Phoenix also smiled in relief.

Finally the date came to an end, and Maya drove Phoenix to his apartment. When they were standing outside of the door inside the building, Maya spoke.

"Hey, Nick…I had a good time…" she said, uncharacteristically shy, not quite being able to look at him when she spoke.

Phoenix seemed to be deep in thought, so it took him half a second to realize that Maya was talking to him.

Phoenix then sheepishly smiled and said, "Oh…yeah…me too…"

Maya just smiled shyly in response, and Phoenix thought that this would be it, but Maya just stood there, looking at him expectantly, not saying anything. He felt confused for about half a second when he realized what was going on.

_Oh! I think she's expecting me to kiss her…or something…_Phoenix thought, suddenly feeling very nervous.

Phoenix took a deep breath and hesitantly took a step forward. It felt really strange to him, being this close to Maya under such circumstances, but he tried to push that uneasy feeling away. With another deep breath he began to lean forward, and he saw Maya's eyes fluttering closed. Just centimeters away from her face, he stopped. He didn't know why he stopped, but for some reason, he just couldn't make himself kiss her on the lips. But now, it was much too late to pull away and pretend he had no intention of kissing her, so he settled with giving her a light peck on the cheek.

When he pulled back, he looked at her, suddenly blushed, and awkwardly said, "Ahh…well…"

Maya looked back at him shyly, also not quite sure what to say or do, so she finally settled on saying hesitantly with a touch of hope, "Umm…I guess I better go then…I hope we can do this again?"

Phoenix looked back at her and wondered for a second if he really wanted to do this again. It was true that he didn't have a bad time at all, but for some reason, he felt like something important was missing. He was on the verge of trying to let her down gently, but he stopped himself.

_This is what I need! I do like her enough as a friend…I just have to see if more comes out of this._ Phoenix thought to himself, coming to an impulsive decision.

"Yeah. We really should." Phoenix found himself saying, giving Maya a half smile.

With this response from Phoenix, Maya seemed awfully happy as she quickly walked to her car and gave him a wave before driving off, her big smile making Phoenix feel just a little bit better about things.

He made his way back to his apartment, entering and then getting ready to go to bed, going over the entire date in his mind. He wondered why he hesitated in kissing her, knowing that nerves alone really were not what stopped him. The more he thought about it, the more clear the reason became to him. He kept trying to push it out of his mind, reminding himself this is why he went on this date in the first place. But making himself go on a date that he most likely would not have gone on under regular circumstances wouldn't change the reason why.

Maya Fey just could never and would never be Miles Edgeworth.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next evening, Phoenix took the bag he had packed and caught a cab to go to his parents' home that was just an hour drive out from the main city. Phoenix always loved coming home, since he was always very close with his family, and he regretted that he couldn't come home more often. With a smile on his face, he walked up to the front door and knocked.

He hoped that he would be able to forget about his relationship troubles for a few days but he knew that would be near impossible with a sister like Anka. He knew the minute he walked in the door she would be grilling him about all the things he did since the last time he came home, with relationship statuses invariably included. It was more a matter of when she would be asking him about the subject of relationships rather than if she would ask at all.

Phoenix was suddenly brought out of his thoughts as the front door flew open. He saw it was his fourteen year old sister behind it.

"Phoenix!" she said in excitement, running forward and giving him a huge hug, not even letting him come inside or put his bag down.

"Anka!" Phoenix said, laughing as he returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm.

Finally when Phoenix pulled back he playfully said, "You're going to let me inside, now aren't you?"

In response, Anka laughed and stepped aside so that he could get in the door.

As he got in, his mother came up to him quickly and gave him a hug, saying, "Phoenix, I'm glad you're home. Your dad was out on a dig consultation, and he won't be back until very late. He did say he would be back for sure tomorrow though."

Then, after Phoenix got settled into his old room when he used to live in the house, and before everyone was going to get to bed, Phoenix, Anka, and their mother caught up a little, mostly Phoenix letting them talk about what had been happening in their lives, not quite able to bring up the subject of Maya himself since he was still feeling weird about it.

Soon Phoenix got into bed, glad to finally get a break from all the cases he had been having lately. But, to his dismay, when he finally relaxed and got comfortable, he began to think about all the things he had been so desperately avoiding when he was awake. Phoenix rolled over in bed, trying to banish all his thoughts and try to get some sleep, but to no avail.

Many of Phoenix's lonely nights were spent this way, all the hustle and bustle of his wakeful life at bay at his bedroom door, leaving him only with his thoughts. And one person reigned supreme in these thoughts: Miles Edgeworth.

Phoenix sometimes wondered if maybe something was wrong with him with the way he clung so fitfully to the memory of Miles Edgeworth even after he disappeared off the face of the earth two years ago, but he just couldn't help himself. Phoenix had long accepted the fact that he loved Miles and even if Miles never returned, he would always love him.

_But where does that leave me?_ Phoenix thought, the question being much more frustratingly rhetorical than he would have wished.

Phoenix's date with Maya made one thing crystal clear to him. No matter how much he really wanted to be able to move on, he just couldn't. Somehow Miles had won a place in his heart and his life that no one else could ever hope to have. But Phoenix felt like he had to let someone in, if not really for himself, then for his parents.

_What would they think if they found out the way I'm wasting my life away, waiting for someone who most likely will never return? The fact that he's a man probably wouldn't be that easy to explain either. _Phoenix thought in slight bitterness, knowing deep down that waiting for Miles would never be considered a waste in his mind.

This is when Phoenix resolved to tell his family that he was dating Maya the next day, so there would be no way he could change his mind later and back out.

_I already know that Mom and Dad like her a lot, and Anka also gets along with her very well. And Maya is really caring and is definitely very interesting, and we've already been through quite a bit together, so I suppose taking the next step with her isn't so out of the blue…_Phoenix thought, trying to convince himself this really was the right thing to do.

Thoughts along this line seemed to relax Phoenix's mind enough to let him fall into sleep, but a single whispered word managed to escape his lips as he drifted off, "Miles…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Miles Edgeworth sat at his desk in his small apartment in France, having an unusual bit of free time from any cases, something that he rather despised, being one to be continuously immerse himself in work, not wanting there to be even a second where he would be forced to evaluate his life, and the mistakes he might have made in his past.

In moments like this, every feeling he kept bottled up and hidden away within himself erupted forth, making him question every decision he made up to this point in his life and the plans he had for his future. And much to his dismay, these moments brought thoughts of those he would rather leave in his past, most specifically thoughts of Phoenix Wright.

_You left that place, your past, for a reason!_ He told himself, repeating this line to himself every time those thoughts began to eat at him mercilessly, leaving him with feelings of sorrow and guilt.

And then the little nagging voice inside him piped up the way it usually did when he thought of Phoenix, "Was it really right of you to leave Wright the way you did? Was it right to abandon him when he supported you and trusted in you even when you couldn't trust yourself?"

To these questions, he could never come up with a satisfactory answer. He shook his head and let out a small sigh of disgust at himself. Even with the feeble reasons he kept telling himself to rationalize his sudden leave with no warning, deep down he knew that it was a mistake.

He quickly realized that coming to France didn't take his problems away, nor did it wipe away the feelings he finally grudgingly admitted to himself that he harbored for Phoenix. And yet, he stayed, much too stubborn and afraid to go back and face the people he had left behind to ask for their forgiveness, more than anything to ask Phoenix for forgiveness for the betrayal he was sure he felt as a result.

_After everything, I can't go back…Wright, can you forgive me?_ Miles thought as he put his head in his hands, his emotions abruptly bubbling up and making his eyes burn with tears.

He suddenly and violently pushed himself away from the desk and began to pace around the room in an attempt to push the feelings back yet again.

_I can't be weak, I can't let this get to me. What's done is done. The only thing I can do is remain strong, and put my past behind me. _Miles thought resolutely, trying his best to push thoughts of Phoenix out of his mind.

He glanced at the digital clock in his office at home and decided to just get to sleep, hoping that would clear all of these thoughts away.

* * *

Miles suddenly found himself standing in front of a white reception hall. He examined his surroundings further and found that it seemed to be well decorated, but for some reason, the decorations were unusually somber for a happy occasion.

_What's going on here?_ Miles thought as he slowly approached the hall.

When he walked into the entrance, he saw that quite a few people were gathered here for some sort of ceremony. When he got closer to them, he could see that many of these people were crying, or at least had a sad expression on their faces.

_This must be a funeral._ Miles thought, his eyes falling on a white casket in the front of the room.

As he kept walking forward, he looked again around the room, and he suddenly realized he knew a lot of these people. He picked out many of the defendants in trials he had worked on before he left the United States and closer to the front he spotted Detective Gumshoe. In the first row, he found Maya Fey sobbing and a noticeably subdued Larry Butz trying to comfort her.

When Miles was almost standing next to Maya and Larry, he finally caught the things she was saying in between her sobs.

"Why, Nick? Why did you have to go? Now you've left me all alone…" she said brokenly, finally burying her face in Larry's chest.

Her words suddenly made Miles's heart go cold and he felt himself freezing up in shock.

_No…this can't be!_ he thought to himself.

Almost without realizing it, he made a mad dash to the casket in the front, daring not to believe her words without seeing the proof for himself, not caring for a moment if he disrupted the service with his yearning for the truth. With his heart beating madly in fear, he willed himself to look down at the body in the casket.

There lay Phoenix Wright, looking no different than the last time Miles had seen him, the expression on his face peaceful, almost like he was taking a deep nap and nothing more. But Miles was not one to fool himself out of the truth. His hands gripped the edge of the casket so tightly that his knuckles turned white as the truth of the situation washed over him, making him feel extremely drained.

"No…" Miles said in an extremely weak tone, "No…this can't— Phoenix!"

He kept staring at Phoenix's lifeless body, just waiting for him to move, of show some other sign of being alive, the silent stillness of his body being much too unnerving to Miles. Before Miles knew it, tears were running down his cheeks, an unbearable sadness overtaking him.

"Phoenix…I never told you…that I…I loved you!" Miles whispered hoarsely, yet more tears covering his face at this candid confession and the fact at how it was much too late to matter.

Miles raised one shaky hand to touch Phoenix's face, and he found it to be icy cold.

* * *

Miles suddenly woke up and found his face to be wet with tears and his body to be wet with sweat. He trembled slightly as he removed himself from his bed, shaking his head to fully wake up. Within seconds, he realized that it all was just a nightmare, which caused relief to flow through him, but this still did not dispel all of his fears.

He walked into his bathroom and quickly got into the shower to literally and figuratively wash the nightmare away. He refused to let himself dwell on the dream as the cool shower water washed over him, deciding that would only bring him much more pain and regret than he wanted to handle.

One thing that this nightmare made obvious to him was that his past would continue to haunt him, and that his subconscious mind would continue to punish him for his mistakes, never letting him forget what, and more specifically, who he let slip through his fingers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Phoenix woke up late the next morning, finding himself alone in the house with only a note from his mother left for him under a magnet on the fridge.

Phoenix,

Your dad and I have our classes to teach until the evening and Anka has her journalism meeting after school, so we'll all just have to catch up during dinner!

Love,

Mom

Phoenix realized that he hadn't had a moment of time alone this way in months, always rushing back and forth between places to investigate for cases, spending long hours poring over books and evidence to strengthen his defense, never having a moment to just step back and take a breath.

This is when he truly realized how much he needed this break. He just got himself a bowl of cereal and brought it into the living room, sitting on the couch to watch some TV. With thoughts of Edgeworth thankfully far from his mind for once, Phoenix decided that he really could get used to this.

After spending a few hours lounging on the couch this way, he heard the doorbell. He realized that he didn't even change out of the clothes he slept in, so he really hoped that it wasn't someone important at the door. Upon opening the door, Phoenix saw the person who rang the bell was a teenage boy of average height with deep brown eyes and hair to match. He seemed to be standing rather nervously, and he looked at Phoenix in surprise when Phoenix opened the door.

Phoenix just looked at the boy questioningly, waiting for him to say something. Finally the boy shook his head, and got himself to speak.

"Umm…Is Anka home?" he asked in a quiet tone, shuffling his feet a little in nervousness and embarrassment.

"No, she isn't. I think she's in a meeting with her journalism class." Phoenix said to the boy, now wondering who this boy was and why he wanted to talk to his sister.

Phoenix was very close with his sister, so immediately, and completely without him realizing it, he went into protective big brother-attorney cross examining mode.

"What is your name exactly?" Phoenix asked, his eyebrows scrunched slightly in suspicion.

"Oh, my name is Joshua Burgham. I'm…a friend of Anka's from school…" he said nervously, still unable to keep eye contact with Phoenix as he spoke, feeling like he was suddenly put on the spot.

"Ahh, I see. How exactly did you meet Anka?" Phoenix said, crossing his arms and looking at him in a vaguely intimidating way.

And Josh was easily intimidated by Phoenix, being that Phoenix was easily much taller and stronger than he was.

"Umm…we have a class together…" Josh said carefully, wondering why this person was asking so many questions, feeling even more nervous about giving him the wrong answers.

"What class do you have with her exactly?" Phoenix pressed for more information, his arms still crossed.

"English. We have English together." Josh answered, his feet shuffling nervously, now starting to get a little frightened of Phoenix.

"Is that all?" Phoenix asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Sometimes…we hang out at lunch." Josh said, now his voice carrying just a tinge of a tremble.

"I see." Phoenix said, his tone now no longer threatening, noticing that he really seemed to be scaring the boy, deciding that he probably would be no harm to his sister, but he would definitely still keep an eye on him.

Now uncrossing his arms and taking a much more inviting stance, Phoenix said, "Oh, by the way, I'm her brother, Phoenix."

"You're her brother? She talks about you all the time!" Josh said, happy to shift the subject off of himself, "She thinks you are a really good lawyer."

"She told you all that?" Phoenix said, now feeling just a little embarrassed himself, continuing to speak humbly, "Well, don't believe everything you hear…I just do the best I can."

"Well, I do hear about your cases on the news sometimes, and you always find a way to prove your clients innocent, no matter how bad it looks. That really is something." Josh said, really impressed with Phoenix a little, and mostly just to butter him up.

In response, all Phoenix could do was laugh slightly awkwardly and scratch the back of his head sheepishly, knowing that whatever they said on tv must have been a glamorized version of the truth.

"Anyway…" Phoenix finally said, "Was there a reason you wanted to see Anka?"

At this question, Josh's face flushed a deep red and he fumbled with his words, "Oh, ummm…I…ummm…wanted to give her something…"

Now Phoenix noticed, he seemed to be holding a folded piece of paper, turning it over and over unconsciously in his hands nervously as he spoke.

Glancing at the piece of paper and then looking back at Josh's face, Phoenix said, "I could give that to her later if you like."

Josh's blush actually seemed to deepen as he replied, "Oh, thanks…"

Then, very hesitantly, he handed the folded paper over to Phoenix and then stepped back, standing in front of Phoenix awkwardly for a moment.

Finally he spoke again, saying, "Uhh…I guess I can get going now. Bye."

Before Phoenix could properly reply, he quickly walked away, almost like he was escaping something. At this reaction, Phoenix chuckled lightly, finding it to be rather humorous, not believing he really had it in him to scare other people like that.

_I guess I was wrong…_Phoenix thought, the smile still on his face, finally coming into the house and locking the door.

Then he looked down to the folded piece of paper in his hands. With the way that Josh was blushing when he handed this note over, there had to be something of interest written on it. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he opened the note.


End file.
